The Local on Sukhumvit Soi 23 is a Thai restaurant-with-bar in a converted teak shophouse, run by the Trat family who have been in Bangkok hospitality for three generations. The kitchen serves regional Thai food rare in the capital; the bar runs a serious Thai-spirits cocktail programme.
The shophouse setting is the obvious feature — wooden ceilings, antique furniture, a small front courtyard with three tables. The dining rooms are upstairs; the bar wraps around the ground-floor courtyard. The kitchen specialises in southern Thai dishes (Phuket-style stir fries, Krabi-style curries) and the bar's drinks are built around them.
The cocktail programme is Thai-spirits-led: Mekong whisky, SangSom rum, Iron Balls gin, and a small but careful selection of imported spirits. The Thai Cocktail Flight (THB 480 for three 80ml glasses, customer choice) is the strongest first order. The bartenders are unusually well-trained for a restaurant programme and the drinks are properly built rather than perfunctory.
The Local works best as a long Thursday or Sunday dinner. Reservations are essential, two-and-a-half hours minimum, ideal for the kind of date that wants serious Thai food and good drinks without the formality of a grand hotel. The wine list is short but well-curated for Thai food; the cocktails are the better choice with the spicier dishes.
Best time to visit: Weekday evenings before 9pm for a quieter version of the room; weekends after 9pm for the busier one. Reservations recommended where the bar accepts them.
What to order
- 01
House Thai Cocktail Flight
- 02
Mekong Old Fashioned
- 03
Iron Balls Tom Yum
- 04
Pandan Daiquiri
- 05
SangSom Daiquiri